Take Me Out

Synopsis

Take Me Out is a rare, epic play, painted on a large canvas, dealing with major issues: sport, race and sexual politics. Darren Leeming is a young, iconic baseball star, living life large, male as can be and envied by everyone. He calls a press conference and, without telling anyone what he is about to do, he ‘comes out to the waiting media. Take Me Out chronicles the fall-out, as the ripples of his actions spread through the team, the media and across the nation. As latent prejudices emerge, Leeming is forced to re examine his ' untouchable' life as those around him confront their own demons.

Our Review:

28 June 2002

The Donmar Warehouse's American Imports season of new plays from across the pond fizzles out, rather than fizzes, with the world premiere of Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out.

Fuelled by the playwright's recent belated conversion to the game of baseball - an American national obsession to rival ours for football - he finds in it a metaphor for democracy itself, except he declares that baseball is better! "Democracy is lovely," says Mason - a character who is clearly a stand-in for the author himself - "but baseball is more mature."

Mason (Denis O'Hare) is a new friend and financial adviser to a star black baseball player, Darren Lemming (Daniel Sunjata), who has recently chosen to come out as gay. Darren has the wholehearted support of his best friend on the team, Kippy (Neal Huff), but not of his best friend off it, Davey (Kevin Carroll), who plays for a rival team. Nor does he count on the blind racial and sexual prejudice of newcomer Shane ([Freder...

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Latest User Review

USER: Whatsonstage.com - 29 July 2002:

Baseball as a metaphor of Life? Richard Greenberg’s play chronicles the following ups and downs of Darren and his team mates after his coming out as well as the reaction of the press, the fan, the Nation (and the public facing some scene of full frontal male nudity). The play is not about sex, not about being Gay but deals with the major issues of race, sexual awareness and politics using Baseball as a metaphor for life. Some would certainly find it ridiculous but if considered as a metaphor of American Life, it could work. Baseball, as explained by Darren’s closeted business manager, is the epitome of Democracy. Baseball is even better than democracy because Baseball is “more mature”. I know nothing about Baseball but I understand that it is an important part of the American way of life and that it unites American people from different background and origin. This is reflected in the play by the multicultural and ethnic composition of the team. Darren is Afro American and his team mates are Whites, Hispanics and Japanese. After Darren’s coming out, the unity of the team and by extension the unity and image of the American Nation will start to crumble. What was kept “closeted” will comes out and we are not only talking about sexuality here. Greenberg exposes the real America hidden behind the veal of a united melting pot, a land of free speech and freedom and of all opportunities. It’s clever, well written, very funny and not as pessimistic that it looks like. It is not a critic of America, rather an exposition of America’s legend, and a parable the parable of the Land of Freedom. Through Baseball America built a day-to-day modern history, with time markers, era, epochs and finds unity and somehow a meaning for life. I don’t know how it will be received when played in New York, but I greatly enjoyed it and one thing it did for me is that it started of an interest in Baseball. I want now to know more. A must see. Roger JG London N5 ...

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